Beverly L. (bevychap) reviewed Celeste's Best Gluten-Free, Allergen-Free Recipes: Over 250 Recipes Free of Gluten, Wheat, Dairy, Casein, Soy, Corn, Nuts and Yeast on + 151 more book reviews
In July, I received a copy of Celestes Best cookbook and took a couple of months to try some of the recipes.
As background, my family is gluten-free and we also avoid corn products and yeast. I have cooked from many gluten free cookbooks, but never found one that avoided corn as well. So that was my initial interest in Celestes Best. She suggests a corn-free alternative to xanthan gum, has several ways to make corn-free puddings and icings, and best of all, writes all her recipes using baking soda + cream of tartar instead of baking powder (which typically contains corn starch).
But the most unusual aspect of the cookbook, which I didnt even recognize until I started reading through it, is the YEAST FREE, gluten free bread recipes. Real bread, by the way fluffy loaf bread that BENDS and does not crumble. Thats pretty major for any gluten free bread, but especially for one that is also yeast-free. Plus, when I made it, it worked for me the very first time I did not have to develop my technique at all. If you can make muffins, you can make this bread.
Thats not even my favorite part, though. The very, very best part is that over the past couple of months it has become one of my very few go-to cookbooks, one where I trust that every single recipe will work the first time. I would have no problems making an untried recipe for Serious Important Company. I believe all of the recipes were tested by the author unlike many other gluten free cookbooks.
Besides the bread recipes (which also include bagels, hamburger buns, and several styles of pizza crust) and dessert recipes, the cookbook includes a really great selection of entrée items, vegetable dishes, condiments, and appetizers. The selection is what Id describe as realistic not so basic that you could have done it without a recipe but still within the average home cooks reach, most of them on a weeknight. And again, they all WORK. For example, after trying the Stuffed Peppers recipe, my vegetable-averse husband looked at me and said You can make that any time you want!
As with anything, though, there are a few cons along with all the pros. The biggest drawback is that even with a well-stocked gluten free pantry, it took me a long time to get all the special ingredients together. Then, I had to mix up a special flour blend, which is a big peeve for me with many cookbooks if, like me, youre always experimenting from different cookbooks, you could end up with 5 or 6 different blends. I also had to purchase an immersion blender to make the bread.
With all that in mind the extra ingredients and equipment were completely worth it when my husband was able to eat bread for the first time in 15 years! Not just any bread, either, but delicious and easy-to-make homemade bread. Id enthusiastically recommend Celestes Best as an all-around cookbook to anyone with a gluten intolerance, but especially to those with other food sensitivities (milk and nuts are also avoided, just not an issue for us).
As background, my family is gluten-free and we also avoid corn products and yeast. I have cooked from many gluten free cookbooks, but never found one that avoided corn as well. So that was my initial interest in Celestes Best. She suggests a corn-free alternative to xanthan gum, has several ways to make corn-free puddings and icings, and best of all, writes all her recipes using baking soda + cream of tartar instead of baking powder (which typically contains corn starch).
But the most unusual aspect of the cookbook, which I didnt even recognize until I started reading through it, is the YEAST FREE, gluten free bread recipes. Real bread, by the way fluffy loaf bread that BENDS and does not crumble. Thats pretty major for any gluten free bread, but especially for one that is also yeast-free. Plus, when I made it, it worked for me the very first time I did not have to develop my technique at all. If you can make muffins, you can make this bread.
Thats not even my favorite part, though. The very, very best part is that over the past couple of months it has become one of my very few go-to cookbooks, one where I trust that every single recipe will work the first time. I would have no problems making an untried recipe for Serious Important Company. I believe all of the recipes were tested by the author unlike many other gluten free cookbooks.
Besides the bread recipes (which also include bagels, hamburger buns, and several styles of pizza crust) and dessert recipes, the cookbook includes a really great selection of entrée items, vegetable dishes, condiments, and appetizers. The selection is what Id describe as realistic not so basic that you could have done it without a recipe but still within the average home cooks reach, most of them on a weeknight. And again, they all WORK. For example, after trying the Stuffed Peppers recipe, my vegetable-averse husband looked at me and said You can make that any time you want!
As with anything, though, there are a few cons along with all the pros. The biggest drawback is that even with a well-stocked gluten free pantry, it took me a long time to get all the special ingredients together. Then, I had to mix up a special flour blend, which is a big peeve for me with many cookbooks if, like me, youre always experimenting from different cookbooks, you could end up with 5 or 6 different blends. I also had to purchase an immersion blender to make the bread.
With all that in mind the extra ingredients and equipment were completely worth it when my husband was able to eat bread for the first time in 15 years! Not just any bread, either, but delicious and easy-to-make homemade bread. Id enthusiastically recommend Celestes Best as an all-around cookbook to anyone with a gluten intolerance, but especially to those with other food sensitivities (milk and nuts are also avoided, just not an issue for us).
